


Adventures in Babysitting

by WaffleBatter



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Babysitting, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Sick Morgan Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-08-28 08:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16719792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaffleBatter/pseuds/WaffleBatter
Summary: Members of the Avengers babysit Morgan Stark at various points of his life.  Hilarity and fluff ensue.





	1. Stephen Strange

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:  
> The MCU films and its characters belong to Disney and so many people who definitely aren't me. I am borrowing the characters for my own amusement.
> 
> Author's Note: This story will feature stand alone one-shots of the Avengers babysitting little Morgan Stark. Because I love the idea of these tough guys with a sweet little kid.  
> First much hugs and love to peacefulwriter88 for her editing. Thank you so much, my dear.

 

At precisely two o’clock in the afternoon, Stephen Strange walked from Bleecker Street in Manhattan to Upstate New York.  The best part of becoming a Master of the Mystic Arts, Stephen had to admit was the Sling Ring.  Yes, the speedy roadsters he once owned were cool, but a simple circle with his hand sure beat sitting in traffic jams.

 

He strode across the freshly mowed grass, his Cloak billowing in the slight breeze.  As he entered the Avengers compound, his heavy boots clacked against the marble floor.  None of the staff paid him any attention when he moved to the elevator and went up to the private common room floor.

 

Since the defeat of Thanos, the Avengers had dispersed amongst the galaxy and they met at the compound every couple of months to discuss any potential threats.  If there was no immediate danger to address, the meetings were more of a party.

 

Stephen entered the common room, admiring the plush brown microfiber couches and sleek black leather recliners.  A state of the art high definition TV was mounted to the far wall with every video game system known to mankind sitting beneath it.  The stone blue painted walls were decorated not with artwork, but candid pictures of everyone from Tony and Pepper’s wedding.

 

“Hello, Stephen,” Pepper’s friendly voice called out from behind him.

 

He turned to find Pepper walking in with Morgan perched on her hip.

 

Stephen offered her a warm smile.  “Hello.  Do we have you to thank for this lovely spread?” he asked, gesturing to the plates of sandwiches, cheeses, and various fruits set on the long marble counter in the kitchen area.

 

“Yes,” she replied.  “If I left this to Tony, you’d be lucky to get Cheez-Whiz and saltines.”

 

“I’ve always said he somehow managed to marry up.”

 

She snickered.  “You bet he did.  The rest of the guys should be here soon.  Tony is coming up from Brooklyn with Steve and Rhodey.  He wanted to ride in the car he’d had custom made for Steve.  I’m pretty sure they’re picking up Peter Parker too.  Sam and Bucky are finishing their workout in the downstairs gym that hopefully doesn’t involve them killing each other.  And Thor should be arriving with Quill and his gang from Asgard’s new home planet. As for everyone else, I have no idea.”

 

Stephen chuckled.  “So you handle the Avengers’ schedules too?”

 

“A mantle I would be very happy to pass off to literally any one else,” Pepper deadpanned.  “Between running SI, my husband, and this one,” she gently jostled Morgan.  “I am exhausted.”  Morgan giggled, and Pepper pressed a kiss to his chubby cheek.  “Hey, little guy,” she pointed to Stephen.  “Do you remember who this is?”

 

“Eeee-fen!” Morgan crowed.

 

Both Pepper and Stephen laughed.  “There is no doubt about who his favorite Avenger is,” Pepper said.

 

Stephen couldn’t stop the smug grin on his face.  “Does Tony know that?”

 

“Oh God, yes.  I tell him all of the time.  Morgan carries around Floppy Rabbit everywhere.”  Sure enough gripped in Morgan’s tiny fist was one of the ears of said rabbit.

 

When Morgan had been born, Stephen had given the Stark couple a stuffed rabbit for their son.  But not just any stuffed animal…a small brown rabbit with soft floppy ears complete with its own Cloak of Levitation.  He’d found the toy on Etsy and it was just the perfect thing to give to Tony and Pepper’s new scion.  Of course it was cute (that’s what he told Christine), but mostly because he knew it would drive Tony crazy.

 

Just then a harried young man in his twenties, wearing a suit and tie walked quickly into the room.  “Mrs. Stark, I am so sorry to interrupt, but there is an emergency at the Denver office and the office director is on a video call, wanting to speak with you right away.”

 

Taking a deep breath, she nodded.  “Okay, has Tony arrived yet?”

 

“No, ma’am he hasn’t.”

 

She scoffed.  “Of course.  I’m sure they took the scenic route with that damn car.  Well…” she hitched Morgan, higher on her hip.  “I guess you are coming with me.”

 

Before Stephen could even process the words, he offered confidently, “I can take him.”

 

“Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”

 

“Pepper, it’s really not a problem.”

 

“I don’t want to put you out.”

 

“You’re not putting me out if I’m offering.”  He held his hands out.  “I can handle him for a little bit while you put out a corporate fire.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked.  When he nodded, Pepper smiled. “Oh, Stephen, thank you so much.”  She handed Morgan over, who had no anxiety about being held by another person who wasn’t his parents.  “I just changed him and I already fed him lunch so really the only thing you have to do is just stay with him until Tony gets here.”

 

He nodded.  “Go ahead, I got this.”  With that, Pepper followed her assistant out of the room.

 

Stephen looked at Morgan, who patted his goatee.  Stephen had taken on a dark lord from another dimension and a Titan who tried to eliminate half of the universe so watching a fourteen month baby would be a cake walk.

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later, Stephen felt he’d cemented his position as Morgan’s favorite Avenger.  They sat on one of the couches while Stephen entertained Morgan with his magic.

 

Stephen created golden threads and circles that gently burst in front of Morgan, dissolving into sparkly dust.  Morgan cooed and clapped his hands.

 

Looking at his watch, Stephen grunted.  “Its no wonder your mother runs Stark Industries. Your father appears to think time is subjective as do the rest of our merry band of heroes.”

 

Unfortunately Morgan soon grew bored with Stephen’s magic.  When Stephen heard voices in the hallway, he turned for a moment only to find Morgan had made a quick getaway and was trying to climb a stool at the breakfast bar.

 

“No, no, no,” Stephen admonished, carrying Morgan back.  “Your father should be here soon and then you can run away from him all you want.”

 

He tried to sit Morgan back on the couch, but the child was having none of it.  Every moment Stephen let him go, Morgan tried to escape.  Stephen tried making funny faces, singing, and even his very accurate Chewbacca impression to no avail.  Growing more and more frustrated, Morgan whined and fought against Stephen; he even threw Floppy Rabbit on the floor.

 

“Hey, what’s up, kiddo?” Stephen asked.  “You were fine just a few minutes ago and now this.”

 

Morgan’s crying increased in pitch and volume, his face starting to turn red.  He rubbed his fists into his eyes, with fat tears rolling down his cheeks.  Standing up, Stephen picked up Morgan and made quiet shushing sounds.  Morgan just continued to cry and cry.

 

Stephen started to panic a bit when he felt a tap on his shoulder.  Turning, he discovered the Cloak was the source; he hadn’t even noticed it coming off his shoulders.

 

“What? What?!” he snapped.  “I’m kind of busy.”

 

The Cloak hung mid-air and lay it self out like a hammock.  One end pointed to the body of the material.

 

Stephen stared in confusion before he caught on.  “You want me to put the kid in you?” he asked over Morgan’s sobbing; the Cloak simply nodded.

 

Stressed, no parents in sight, and completely out of options, Stephen decided to comply. What was the worse that could come from the simple task? He trusted the Cloak with his life so why not a crying infant?

 

“Okay.” Placing Morgan inside the Cloak, Stephen said gently, “Maybe this will calm you down? I hope.”

 

Because Morgan was so small, the end of the Cloak pulled itself over him like a blanket.  Then the Cloak began to gently swing side to side.

 

Stephen’s eyes widened in amazement as Morgan’s cries tapered off into pitiful squeaks and whines.

 

Picking Floppy Rabbit from the floor, Stephen tucked the stuffed animal next to Morgan’s side.  Hugging the stuffed bunny, Morgan’s eyes began to droop.

 

“Was that it?” Stephen asked quietly.  “Were you just tired?” Morgan’s answer was a big yawn.  Within a few more minutes, Morgan gently fell asleep.

 

“Yes!” Stephen whispered excitedly.  He held his hand up, and the collar of the Cloak managed to give Stephen a high five…of sorts.  “Once again, Strange-one. Stark-zero.”

* * *

 

When some of the other Avengers _finally_ arrived, Stephen kicked them out, not wanting to risk disturbing Morgan. He’d just fixed himself a drink and kicked his feet on the coffee table when he heard more voices in the hallway.

 

“Tony, did you just get _here_?”  Pepper asked irritably.

 

“Yes.  What’s the problem?”  Stephen rolled his eyes because Tony didn’t sound the least bit concerned over his tardiness.

 

“The problem is I had to take an emergency phone call from the company and left Morgan with Stephen.  I told him you’d be here nearly thirty minutes ago so you could take _our_ son out of his hands.”

 

“You left Morgan with Strange?” Tony’s voice grew louder, tinges of fear in his words.  “He’ll send him to another dimension!”

 

When Tony and Pepper pushed the door into the common room, they stopped dead in their tracks.  Morgan was still peacefully sleeping in the Cloak, and Stephen sitting serenely across from him, flipping through _People_ magazine. 

 

“The only Stark I would send to another dimension is you,” Stephen deadpanned.

 

“Why is my kid sleeping in your damn cape?” Tony hissed.

 

Stephen’s eyes narrowed.  “It is not a _cape_.”  Turning to Pepper, he reassured her, “The Cloak of Levitation would never hurt Morgan.”

 

To emphasize his point, the Cloak shook its collar.  Morgan sighed in his sleep, and snuggled further in.

 

“Stephen, thank you so much for watching him.”  She gave Tony a very pointed look.  “My husband should have been here on time to put Morgan down for his nap.”  Smiling, she took a deep breath.  “I can take Morgan to his room so you can have your cloak back.”

 

Stephen waved his hand as he stood.  “Don’t worry about it.  If you just show the Cloak the way to Morgan’s room, it’ll just hang out there until he wakes up.”

 

She seemed completely unfazed by a floating piece of clothing encasing her son.  But then again, she had already spent a fair amount time around other humans with extraordinary powers.  “Okay,” she replied.

 

Tony’s eyes widened.  “Really?  We’re really doing this?”

 

“Yes we are,” she replied in a tone that left no room for argument.  “Um, follow me…I guess.”  And sure enough, the Cloak gently floated behind Pepper out of the room, leaving Stephen alone with Tony.

 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed and Stephen smirked at his pained expression.  “For being a person in the forefront of nanotechnology, you sure have an issue with something as simple as time.”

 

Stephen turned briefly, only for Tony to lob a pillow at him.  Well, tried to lob a pillow; spinning around, Stephen used his circular shield to deflect the pillow…

 

Right back at Tony’s face.


	2. James Rhodes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look I finally updated this! I apologize for the wait; I've been very busy at work. I'm hoping the next chapter won't be as long of a wait. Enjoy!

“What do you think you’re you doing?!”

 

Tony froze, his fingers hovering over the screen of his smart phone.  “Nothing.”

 

“Really?” Pepper asked, placing her hands on her hips.  “You weren’t about to use your phone after we promised each other no electronics for seventy-two hours?”

 

“The times nearly up!”  Tony protested.

 

“Not for another eighteen hours!”

 

“I was just going to see if there were any messages from Rhodey.”

 

Pepper’s expression softened into a tolerant, yet loving smile.  She walked out of the bathroom to where he sat on the big bed in their hotel room.  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she sighed in fond exasperation.  “Morgan is fine, I promise.”

 

Tony and Pepper had decided to take a week long trip to Aspen.  She’d been busy with Stark Industries work and Tony himself was working on technology for the new Avengers followed by raising their rambunctious son meant they’d hardly had any time alone together.

 

Tony was prepared to take Morgan along with them, but Pepper really wanted a week where it was just the two of them.  Reluctantly, Tony agreed to let Rhodey take care of Morgan.  It wasn’t that Tony didn’t trust Rhodey, it was that this would be the very first time Tony would be away from Morgan for such a long time.

 

And on top of that, he and Pepper had made a deal that they wouldn’t use their smart phones and tablets for three days so they could be focused on each other and at least a portion of their trip.  Tony thought he could make it, because three days didn’t seem so long.  Unfortunately that was a long time to not see and talk to his son.

 

“I know,” Tony mumbled.  “I just miss him a lot.”

 

She played with the hair at the nape of his neck.  “I miss Morgan too.  But you know Rhodey has the number to the hotel and he would contact us right away if there was an emergency.”

 

Tony nodded, knowing she was right.  But then Pepper smiled, pressing her lips to his forehead.  “You can call home.”

 

His eyes lit up.  “Really?!”

 

“Really,” she nodded.

 

Tony eagerly hit the power button.  When the phone booted up, it signaled there was a voicemail.  “There is a message from Rhodey,” Tony grinned.  “Probably telling us how cute our son is.”  He hit the speaker function so they both could listen

_Hey, Tones.  I know you guys probably won’t hear this later, but I don’t want you to freak out-_

 

Tony’s eyes widened and his heart dropped to his stomach.  “Not a good way to start a message, Platypus!”

 

- _but Morgan is sick._

 

* * *

  

“Uncle Jimmy…Uncle Jimmy…”

 

Rhodey slowly came out a deep sleep to feel someone patting his shoulder.  He slowly blinked his eyes open several times.  It took him a moment to register his surroundings; he wasn’t at home, but rather in the guest bedroom in Tony and Pepper’s Manhattan loft.  Turning his head, he saw Morgan Stark standing next to the bed.

 

“Hey, kiddo,” Rhodey said, his voice scratchy from sleep.  He glanced at the clock; 3:27am. “What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t feel so good,” Morgan sniffled pitifully.

 

That got Rhodey’s attention, and he sat up immediately, throwing back the covers.  “What’s wrong?”

 

“My throat hurts really bad.”

 

Nodding, Rhodey stood up.  “Let’s see if we can dig up some medicine for you.”  Rhodey took Morgan’s hand and led him down the hall to the linen closet next to Tony and Pepper’s bedroom.  He knew they kept the medicine for Morgan there on the upper shelves.

 

After turning on the light to the bathroom, Rhodey sat Morgan on the toilet seat so he could get a better look at him.  The four year old shivered and clutched Floppy Rabbit closer to him.  Feeling Morgan’s forehead, Rhodey found the skin hot and sweaty to the touch.  He rummaged through the closet for a moment before finding a bottle of children’s cough medicine and a thermometer.

 

“Let’s take your temperature,” Rhodey said, hitting the ‘on’ button.  “You just need to hold this under your tongue for a minute.”

 

But no sooner had the words left Rhodey’s mouth when Morgan started coughing violently.  Morgan’s little body was wracked with heavy coughs that seemed to go on forever.  His face was red with the effort of trying to catch his breath.  The cough was an awful, hoarse wet sound that finally ended what felt like an eternity later. 

 

Morgan heaved big breaths, his blue eyes bright with tears.  “It hurts so much!”

 

Rhodey brushed back Morgan’s sweat soaked hair from his forehead.  “I know, but let me take your temperature and we’ll get some medicine in you to feel better.”

 

Morgan unenthusiastically accepted the thermometer in his mouth and a moment later, the device beeped.  Rhodey’s eyes widened at the number on the display: 104 degrees.

 

Taking a deep breath, Rhodey tried to calm his nerves.  His heart beat fast as his mind raced; he wasn’t sure what to do.  Did he wait until the doctor’s office opened to get an appointment with Morgan’s pediatrician?  Morgan’s temperature was awfully high though.  But if he gave Morgan medicine now, it might lower his temperature in a few hours… 

 

Rhodey’s thoughts were interrupted when Morgan broke into another violent coughing fit.  He scooped Morgan up in his arms, carrying the little boy down the hall.  Rhodey wasn’t going to wait until morning to call the pediatrician; they were going to see a doctor _now._

* * *

 

_…he has a high fever and a very nasty cough so I took him to the emergency room-_

 

“He had to take Morgan to the emergency room?!?” Pepper exclaimed, gripping Tony’s shoulder tightly.

 

“We told Rhodey to call the hotel if there was an emergency!”  Tony yelled.  “Going to the emergency room with our son qualifies as an emergency!”

* * *

 

“Morgan Stark?” called the young male nurse.

 

Rhodey rose from the hard plastic seat with a groan.  While Wakandan technology had healed his paralysis, age still affected his joints.  Especially when rising to a standing a position with a four year old clinging to him.  Rhodey had left Morgan in his pajamas, and covered his little feet in socks and shoes before wrapping him in a coat.  Rhodey had quickly traded his gym shorts for sweat pants and left on the t-shirt he’d slept in.

 

Once they were in the exam room, the nurse, who introduced himself as Charlie, directed Rhodey to sit on the bed.  Morgan was still attached to him like a koala.  Rhodey explained Morgan’s symptoms while Charlie made notes in the chart.  It hadn’t occurred to Rhodey until they arrived at the hospital that there might be a problem getting Morgan treated because Rhodey wasn’t his parent or legal guardian.  However, once the staff recognized him as War Machine with Pepper and Tony Stark’s son, Rhodey didn’t encounter any issues.

 

After several minutes, the doctor entered and introduced herself as Doctor Patil.  Her long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and she had a warm, friendly smile.

 

“Morgan,” Doctor Patil began.  “We’re going to figure out what’s making you feel so yucky, okay?  Can I start by listening to your chest?”

 

Whimpering, Morgan shook his head and clung to Rhodey even tighter.  “He’s very shy,” Rhodey explained, rubbing Morgan’s back soothingly. 

 

Doctor Patil nodded.  “That’s okay.  Morgan, I know this is very scary, but I promise we’re going to take very good care of you.  You can stay in your uncle’s lap the whole time and I will explain everything I’m doing.”

 

Rhodey pressed a kiss to Morgan’s head.  “It’s okay.  I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Several moments later, Morgan reluctantly released his arms from Rhodey’s neck and turned around.  He still leaned against Rhodey’s chest though, clutching Floppy Rabbit.

 

Doctor Patil smiled again.  “Thank you for being so brave.”  She held up her stethoscope.  “I’m going to use this to listen to your lungs and then we’re going to take your temperature, okay?”

 

Morgan nodded, and Doctor Patil went about examining him.  It pained Rhodey to listen to Morgan struggle to take a deep breath.

 

“We’re going to run a few tests, and see what’s going on,” Doctor Patil assured Rhodey.  “I’m going to order a couple of things to reduce the fever and see if we can open his airways.  Just keep Morgan relaxed and we’ll back to you as soon as possible.”

 

The anxiety in Rhodey’s chest eased slightly, but when the doctor and nurse left, Morgan burst into tears.  Rhodey hugged the little boy to his chest.  “Hey, hey, hey.  It’s okay.”

 

“Wan-wan-want Mom-my and Da-ddy,” Morgan sobbed.

 

“I know you do, but they’re still out of the state.”  That, unfortunately, made Morgan cry even harder.  Rhodey was worried about Morgan not being to breathe easily, so he made soothing noises to try to calm the little boy down.

 

“I know I’m not your Daddy, but I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere.  I promise we’ll talk to your parents as soon as we can.”  He rocked Morgan slowly side-to-side.  “I know you’re scared, and it’s okay to be scared.”

 

Nodding, Morgan sniffled, his tears still soaking Rhodey’s t-shirt.

 

Taking a deep breath, Rhodey pressed his cheek to Morgan’s cheek and said in a low voice, “It’s going to be okay.  The doctor is going to help you and I will be there every step of the way.”

 

*****

 

Morgan finally fell asleep about an hour and a half later, his chest moving with much more ease.  The epinephrine breathing treatment Doctor Patil had given him had really helped.  True to his word, Rhodey didn’t move.  Rhodey lay next to Morgan on the gurney, holding Morgan close to him.

 

There was a quiet knock before the door opened and Doctor Patil entered.  He started to rise, but she said gently, “You can stay on the bed.”  

 

She sat on a small stool facing Rhodey.  “So it looks like Morgan has a case of croup,” she began in a low voice.  “His fever has gone down and I’m much happier with the way his breathing sounds, but I would like to keep you guys here a little longer just to make sure Morgan doesn’t regress.  I’m going to prescribe him a steroid treatment; he doesn’t need antibiotics since this is a viral infection.  I have some treatment information to go over with you before we discharge Morgan.  If you notice Morgan’s fever spiking again or his cough worsening, schedule an appointment with his pediatrician or come back here immediately.”

 

Closing his eyes, Rhodey blew out a long breath.  “Thank you.  Thank you so much.”

* * *

 

_We’re back from the hospital.  Morgan is doing much better.  It turns out he has the croup.  The doctor gave him some prescription steroids to help with his breathing. He’s asleep right now.  I’m going to give him his medicine later.  I’ll keep you posted on his progress._

 

Pepper released a long breath.  “Thank goodness.”  She rubbed Tony’s neck.  “I’m so glad Rhodey is with him.”

 

“Not for long,” Tony said determinedly.  “We’re leaving now so I can go home and kill Rhodey!”

 

* * *

 

“NOOOOOO!!!  NO!  NO!  NO!  NO!”

 

“Morgan!” Rhodey called tiredly.  “You need to take your medicine.”

 

“No!”  Morgan shouted one last time before running off.

 

Sighing, Rhodey counted to ten before looking to the ceiling.  “Friday?”

 

“The bosses’ bedroom closet, Colonel,” she replied.  He nodded, “Thank you.”  He set down the hall to look for his wayward patient. 

 

They’d arrived back at the loft just after nine o’clock.  After a bowl of cereal for Morgan and a bagel for himself, Rhodey changed Morgan into a fresh pair of pajamas.  Then he simply carried Morgan back to the guest room so they could both sleep.  Morgan curled into Rhodey’s chest and fell asleep almost at once.  A few hours later Rhodey awoke to find himself pushed to the side of the bed with a small hand in his face and a foot lodged into his ribs.  Rhodey saw it was time to give Morgan his prescription, thus beginning a thirty minute battle.

 

The last time Rhodey had to chase a Stark down to his cold medicine was during college.  Tony hadn’t been used to the frigid Boston weather, and was prone to chest and sinus colds.  Their dorm room was full used tissues from November to March.  Initially, Rhodey had to practically pin Tony down to force cough syrup down his throat.

 

He walked into Tony and Pepper’s bedroom, and opened the door to the walk in closet.  Their closet was more of a small bedroom; actually Rhodey was sure the closet was bigger than the dorm room he and Tony had shared.

 

Rhodey looked down to a rack of Tony’s dress shirts to see a pair of little bare feet.

 

“Morgan, I see you.”

 

“No you don’t.”

 

Rhodey chuckled and pushed the hangers to one side to reveal Morgan sitting on the shelf.  “Yes, I do.”

 

“I don’t wanna take medicine!”

 

Rhodey had tucked the pills into his back pocket.  “I know you don’t but you need it to get better.”

 

Morgan made a whiny sound and crossed his arms, his lower lip sticking out.

 

“Oh that’s a heck of a pout,” Rhodey grinned.  “You remind me of your Dad when we were in college.  He acted like it was the end of the world to when he needed to take his medicine.”

 

That at least teased a little grin out of Morgan.

 

“I’ll tell you what,” Rhodey began.  “I will make you a deal.  If you take your medicine, I will let you have a bowl of ice cream.”

 

“Cookies and cream?” Morgan asked hopefully.

 

“Cookies and cream.”

 

“Ice cream then medicine?” Morgan tried to counter.

 

Rhodey smirked, more memories of Tony bargaining with him flooding his mind.  He shook his head.  “Nope, you gotta take your medicine first.”

 

Morgan considered the offer for a moment.  “Can I eat it in front of the TV?”

 

“You can eat it in front of the TV.”  Rhodey brushed Morgan’s hair back.  “We can even watch Moana.”

 

“Okay,” Morgan said.  Rhodey took Morgan’s hand and led him back to the kitchen. 

 

Rhodey poured a glass of orange juice.  “You need to swallow the pill without chewing it.  Do you think you can do that?”

 

Morgan nodded, and swallowed the medicine and orange juice with only a little difficulty.  Morgan made a show of scrunching up in face in disgust and moving his tongue in and out of his mouth if he was trying to rid his mouth of a disgusting taste.  “Ice cream, please.”

 

Rhodey smiled.  “I am a man of my word,” he said solemnly.  He went to the freezer to retrieve the container of cookies and cream.  “Now you can go sit on the couch and I’ll start Moana,”

 

* * *

 

Pepper rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.  “Tony, you cannot kill Rhodey.”

 

“Wanna make a bet?” Tony said as he angrily jabbed at his phone screen so he could video chat with Rhodey.   “I kicked his ass at my birthday party twelve years ago and I can do it.”

 

“Sure you can,” Pepper deadpanned.

 

Rhodey answered on the second ring.  “Hey, Tony,” he greeted easily.  “I was just about-”

 

But Tony cut off his next words.  “What the hell, Platypus?!  I leave you with my kid for two days and you take him to the emergency room?”

 

“I see you got my message.”

 

“Yes, I got your message!”  Standing up, Tony started pacing the room.  “Where’s Morgan?  How is he? Is he okay?  Is he still sick?”

 

Rhodey didn’t say anything, merely smiling widely.  Tony’s heart rate increased and he ground his teeth at Rhodey’s blasé attitude.  Just as he was about to tear into his friend, the camera shifted, and Morgan’s face filled the screen.  Tony’s anger dissolved instantly at seeing Morgan’s bright blue eyes and his brown hair sticking up everywhere.

 

“Hi, Daddy!”

 

“Hey, buddy!  How are you?” Tony greeted happily.

 

“Goooood. Me and Uncle Jimmy are watching Paw Patrol.”

 

“Yeah?” Tony grinned.  He’d finally stopped pacing and sat on the bed where Pepper joined him.  Morgan squealed hello to his mother. 

 

Tony asked, “Uncle Jimmy said you’re sick.  Are feeling better?”

 

Morgan nodded.  “Yeah.  I get to sleep in the big bed with Uncle Jimmy tonight.”

 

“That’s really nice,” Pepper smiled warmly.  “Are you being a good boy and taking your medicine?”

 

“I get to have ice cream when I take the medicine!”

 

“Ooooookay,” came Rhodey’s voice as he positioned the camera to his own face again.  “That’s enough of ratting Uncle Jimmy out.”

 

“You’re giving Morgan ice cream to get him to take his medicine?” Tony stated dryly.

 

Rhodey merely shrugged.  “Why not?  It worked when I had to give you medicine in college.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

Rhodey barked out a laugh.  “Love you too, Tones.”

 

Pepper asked, “So everything is okay there?”

 

Rhodey nodded.  “Yeah.  Morgan’s cough still sounds rough, but he’s not running a high fever any more.  The doctor said his cough should clear up in a few days, so we’ll be hanging out here.  I’ve made sure he’s been drinking plenty of fluids.  The doctor also said the cough can be worse at night so I set up the humidifier in my room. 

 

“I was also going to run a hot shower before bed, and let the bathroom steam up so we can sit in there together.  That should help open Morgan’s airways too.”

 

Pepper looked at Tony, the corner of her of mouth lifting into a smirk.  “It sounds like you have everything under control.”

 

“Yeah, you do,” Tony admitted, releasing a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.  The situation added to the countless times Tony was grateful for having James Rhodes in his life.   Rhodey was taking care of the most precious person in the world to Tony.  Tony didn’t know how to describe the feeling flooding through him, but it meant the world to him to have Rhodey be there for Morgan.  “Thank you, man.  For everything.”

 

Smiling, Rhodey nodded as if he knew what Tony couldn’t say.  “You’re welcome.”  After waving goodbye and lots of air kisses to Morgan, Tony ended the call.

 

When Tony put the phone down, he looked at his wife.  “See?  I don’t know what you were so worried about. Everything is fine at home!


End file.
